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15 Most Miserable Teams in Sports History

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15 Most Miserable Teams in Sports History

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“It takes sadness to know happiness.” The famous saying can be one of the only consolations for a fan of a sports team coming off a historically wretched season. There are mediocre and bad seasons, and then there are downright miserable ones. Here’s the worst of the worst -- the 15 most miserable teams in sports history.

15. 1986-87 Los Angeles Clippers

LA Clippers
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15. 1986-87 Los Angeles Clippers

LA Clippers
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Los Angeles’ other team has had some awful seasons, but the 1986-87 season topped them all. With Don Chaney running things, the Clippers finished with a 12-70 record, only 53 games behind their L.A. counterparts.

14. 2009-10 New Jersey Nets

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14. 2009-10 New Jersey Nets

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How bad was the 2009-10 season in New Jersey? The Nets opened the season with an NBA record 18-consecutive losses, winning their first game all the way in the month of December. They would finish the season with a 12-70 record.

13. 1980 New Orleans Saints

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13. 1980 New Orleans Saints

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Most times, you can predict when an awful season is coming for a franchise, but that was not the case for the 1980 New Orleans Saints. Coming off a respectable 8-8 season the year prior, the 1980 Saints finished 1-15 with their one win coming by a single point.

12. 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks

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12. 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks
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The 1992-93 season saw the pre-Cuban Dallas Mavericks finish a franchise history worst 11-71. Losing by an average of 15 points per game, it is surprising the team’s longest losing streak was only 19 games.

11. 1981 Baltimore Colts

Marcus Allen
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11. 1981 Baltimore Colts

Marcus Allen
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Before the Colts left in the middle of the night for Indianapolis, they put together a shockingly pathetic season in 1981. The 2-14 record might not be among the worst in the sport’s history, but the numbers their defense allowed are staggering. In a time where offenses were not as explosive as they are now, the Colts set a yardage-allowed record that would stand until it was surpassed by the 2012 New Orleans Saints.

10. 1990 New England Patriots

New England Patriots v Los Angeles Raiders
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10. 1990 New England Patriots

New England Patriots v Los Angeles Raiders
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Since the turn of the millennium, the Patriots have set the standard for success in the NFL. The decade before was not quite as pretty. The 1990 New England team finished 1-15 with a 1990s worst point differential at -265. In one game, the Patriots were trailing the Redskins 9-0 before Washington had even run a single offensive play.

9. 1992-93 San Jose Sharks

Rob Gaudreau
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9. 1992-93 San Jose Sharks

Rob Gaudreau
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Most expansion teams struggle the most in their first season as a franchise, but that was not the case for the San Jose Sharks. In their second season on ice, the Sharks had no bite and finished with an 11-71-2 record.

8. 1935 Boston Braves

Stan Musial
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8. 1935 Boston Braves

Stan Musial
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What’s the most shocking thing about the Braves' 1935 season? “The Babe” was a part of the squad that finished 38-115. Albeit a 40-year-old Babe Ruth, you’d think one of the game’s greatest players would never be a part of such woefulness.

7. 2003 Detroit Tigers

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7. 2003 Detroit Tigers

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The Detroit Tigers' 2003 campaign was historically awful. The team flirted with the all-time loss record of the 1962 New York Mets and finished 43-119, one loss short. Must be hard to win with a team ERA of 5.30.

6. 2001 Carolina Panthers

Chris Weinke
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6. 2001 Carolina Panthers

Chris Weinke
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After drafting Heisman Trophy-winner Chris Weinke and winning their first game, the 2011 season looked promising for the Carolina Panthers. The team would follow up their season-opening win with 15-straight losses to finish 1-15.

5. 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers

Darryl Dawkins
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5. 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers

Darryl Dawkins
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The 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers hold the record for most losses ever in an NBA season, so yeah, the season was miserable. Following a 20-game losing streak in the middle of the season, the team had a record of 4-58. They’d pick up their play and finish the season 9-73.

4. 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

steve spurrier
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4. 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

steve spurrier
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The 1976 season was the first in the NFL for the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and let’s just say they did not get off to the start they were hoping for. The team, “led” by quarterback Steve Spurrier, lost all 14 of their games, were shut out five times and did not score a touchdown until their fourth game. To pile on, the Bucs lost their first 12 games the following season to begin their NFL history with 26-straight losses.

3. 1962 New York Mets

Mr. Met
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3. 1962 New York Mets

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Even with Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel at the helm, the 1962 New York Mets posted a laughable 40-120 record. The team finished 60.5 games out of first!

2. 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats

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2. 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats

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Luckily for the Charlotte Bobcats and their fans, the NBA lockout shortened the misery that was the 2011-12 Bobcats season. The team finished 7-59 including a 23-game losing streak to end the season. The .106 winning percentage is the worst in NBA history.

1. 2008 Detroit Lions

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1. 2008 Detroit Lions

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It seems impossible any team with Calvin Johnson would fail to win a single game in a season, but that’s what the 2008 Detroit Lions managed to do. At least they didn’t draft a wide receiver in the first round the following year.

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